How is November already coming to an end?! I hope that everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving, filled with time with family and friends, delicious food, and fellowship. It’s an important time each year to reflect on all that we are thankful for. I’m eternally thankful to St. Joseph’s Episcopal School, its supportive families, its amazing students, and its phenomenal faculty and staff. I couldn’t ask for a better place to be my home-away-from-home.

In the spirit of giving, this year’s Food for Families initiative collected 4,000 pounds of food to benefit WPTV News Channel 5’s annual food drive! This is a wonderful accomplishment, and we thank all families who graciously filled Whole Foods (or other types of) bags with non-perishable items.

Our Jaguar sports teams are currently in Soccer (Boys) and Basketball (Girls) seasons. If you’re able, try to attend one of the remaining games. Schedules for both teams are posted on our website at http://www.sjsonline.org/sports-schedules/ and can also be found on RenWeb. We are so proud of our student athletes!

The Early Childhood Academy celebrated its annual Thanksgiving Feast on Thursday, November 17th. Our littlest Jaguars had the opportunity to sample the usual fixings while donning pilgrim hats or Indian headdresses. It was certainly a wonderful sight!

Speaking of celebrations, St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church recently celebrated its 60th anniversary! Parishioners, faculty/staff from our school, and many others attended a beautiful dinner on November 19th, where all enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Father Marty Zlatic, listened to St. Joseph’s alum Justin Fox croon classic songs, and socialized with one another. If you are interested in learning more about our wonderful church, please visit their website at http://www.stjoesweb.org, or call the Church Office at (561) 732-3060.

Plans for the new playground are coming right along! The committee held its first meeting on Tuesday, November 15th. A budget was determined, and they’ve narrowed down the companies to a few choices. The Parent Organization invites you to attend A Very Merry Movie Night on Friday, December 9th. For $20 (or $50 for V.I.P.), a family can spread out on Jones Athletic Field and enjoy Jim Carrey in The Grinch! There will be food trucks, a concession stand, and a beer/wine cash bar. All proceeds from this event go to the new playground, so please come—and bring your friends! R.S.V.P. to Kelly at (561) 732-2045 or kdubois@sjsonline.org.

December brings two very exciting events at St. Joseph’s: The Lower School Christmas Musical and the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. On Thursday, December 8th, at 6:30, PK through Fifth Grade students will perform in the Lower School Christmas Musical in Rogers Gymnasium. Prior to the show, we plan to officially dedicate the stage to its new namesake, Becky Cleveland, our previous Artistic Director who retired last year after 31 years at St. Joseph’s. Then, on Wednesday, December 14th, at 7:00, our Middle School students will participate in the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in the Church.

If you need to drop your child(ren) off at school prior to 7:30 AM, please utilize our Early Care/Before School Care program. From 7:00 to 7:30 each morning, students are to come to the Office as teachers do not open classroom doors until 7:30. I facilitate Early Care, so they are welcome to work on homework, AR read, or just visit with me. This costs $8 per day, and it is billed monthly through FACTS. If you have questions about Early Care, please let me know.

I’m so grateful to the wonderful contributions our families have graciously donated to this year’s Jaguar Fund campaign thus far! As you know, any amount is appreciated; we’re looking to reach 100% very soon. At this point, we’re at 70%! Please know that your donations will benefit our students in a plethora of ways, and I can’t wait to share what we plan to accomplish with this year’s earnings. For those who donate(d) at the Leadership Circle ($250) or more, look forward to an e-mail invitation next week to our Thank You Celebration on Friday, January 13th, aboard the beautiful Lady Atlantic! We look forward to celebrating with everyone then!

Speaking of Jaguar Fund, please consider the following opportunity: HypeSites, a Delray Beach-based website and digital marketing company co-owned by a St. Joe’s family, has offered to donate 10% of the revenue generated by new clients who are SJES friends, extended family, alumni, and donors to the Jaguar Fund—from now until the end of the school year! When you contact owners Chris Smith and Olivia Povedano, be sure to mention that you are a part of the Saint Joseph’s Episcopal School extended family. You can reach them at (561) 901-5922 or by e-mailing hello@hypesites.com. Learn more about the donation program at https://hypesites.com/sjes/. It is a win-win situation for everyone: You get a great website and a marketing program that delivers measurable positive returns, and 10% of your investment is donated to the Jaguar Fund! Even if you don’t own a business, refer your family and friends!

Lastly, I am very excited to participate as a Celebrity Server at Empty Bowls Delray Beach. On Sunday, December 4th, at Old School Square, I will be serving soup to hundreds of local residents. I’d like to invite you to join me for this exciting and fun event. I will be there from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Empty Bowls is a national grassroots one-day event that raises money for local hunger relief. I was shocked to learn that one in six residents in our county do not know where they will get their next meal from. Each $25 admission includes a simple meal of soup, bread, a cookie, water, and a beautiful handcrafted bowl to take home. 100% of all proceeds from this fundraising event will benefit the Palm Beach County Food Bank. Here are the ways you can help:

Share this event information with your family, friends, and on your social media accounts.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to the Office, to teachers, to Division Heads, and/or to me directly. The relationship between home and school is essential to all of us at St. Joe’s!